All Around there's lot to Learn and Appreciate...

We concluded the Project Management Leadership Conference, in New Delhi, this week - Yes, we did !! There was a gathering of 150+

While there is some unrest on the work front, learning or knowledge sharing or building networks is important and cannot be compromised. It is very satisfying to be an enabler in the process...

The hall was oozing with energy and enthusiasm. There were some strickingly good presentations made, that shared some rich insights:

-> Vinod K (L&T) showcased a case study of a mega project worth USD283 million, that also got them a PMI award !! It was like fresh air amidst majority of the speakers from an IT background. While project management has its challenges, the speaker made daunting projects look achievable.

-> NBS (CSC) shared very powerful thoughts on Skills and Competency, with some ways to measure and build them around. The small things about forming, building and nurturing a team can have big results was the take-away. One point that I completly believe and would agree with NBS is - when there is a choice between the Right ATTITUDE and the Right SKILL, always go with the person with the Right Attitude - Skill can be developed.

-> Hemant Julka (Emirates) was adored by all because of his really cool ways of presentation. With a collar mike tugged firmly, he decided not to get to the podium and moved around the entire hall - talking and interacting with delegates - thats what I call Awesome! One of the statistics that he shared, which was coming from the findings/forecasts of a research firm, took everyone by surprise. It says - the overall IT spend of companies is going to reduce drastically in the year 2009. The IT project managers must hold on to their projects really hard, and close them Damn well, it could be the last project to manage !!!

-> Raj Kalady (PMI India) on the other hand shared some other statistics that were pretty optimistic - the demand for Project Managers is expected to be FORTY times more than what we currently have!!!

Not sure which data is more precise/reliable, and why. We just got the news of BT laying off 2000 people from their BPO in India! It is difficult to predict everything, you are the best one to study the environmental factors around yourself and make an informed decision. But it does require regular monitoring...

The emphasis is on accuracy of data, and to have the basics right, and the rest will fall into place. My sincere best wishes are with Nandan, as he takes charge of the National ID project. It made me think of ways to contribute towards the betterment of our locality or city or country or the society in general - every bit counts.

Changing topic -
The city of Mumbai just added a landmark to its map - the Bandra Worli sea link - the spectacular 4.7kms Cable stayed bridge that runs over the sea just got completed with a cost of 750cr - HCC has carried out marvelous engineering and made an Impossible bridge come Alive! It already has a traffic of 30 thousand vehicles running per day, may take some time to smoothen out the operations. I wanted to experience it at the first available opportunity. The drive was worth it - AMAZING - worth repeating!!!
We need more such mega projects...